Trump now says some schools might need to delay reopening in the fall
During his Thursday evening coronavirus briefing, President Trump conceded that in hot spots, school districts "may need to delay reopening for a few weeks."
Earlier this month, Trump claimed that schools were staying closed because it is "good for them politically," and the government would "put pressure on governors and everybody else to open the schools." While speaking on Thursday, he said districts should be "actively making preparations to open," but governors will make the final decision.
Trump also said he will ask Congress to ensure the next coronavirus relief bill includes $105 billion for education, with that money going to schools so they can purchase masks, reduce class sizes, and hire more teachers. If a school district does not open, the funding should go to parents "to send their children to the public, private, charter, religious, or home school," Trump said.
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers union, told The Associated Press Trump is "sowing seeds of chaos and confusion so he can fulfill his and [Education Secretary] Betsy DeVos' dream of privatizing and voucherizing public education. He's provided no plan and no funding and has ignored the health experts. Teachers won't let him get away with it."
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